But worse was to come from Craig Revel Horwood, who said: “It was a complete dance disaster.”

The couple languished right at the bottom of the scoreboard with just 14 points, a full 23 points behind the top scorers.

They faced the dance-off alongside Olympic athlete Jade Johnson and her partner Ian Waite, who failed to get enough public support to save them from the crunch performance despite a much more respectable score of 32.

But Jo could not improve on her earlier attempt, despite admitting in training that the tune the dance was set to – Superstition by Stevie Wonder – was a favourite in her nightclubbing days.

Despite the criticism she put a brave face on her defeat and insisted: “I enjoyed every second.”

Elsewhere on the show, star of The Bill Ali Bastian and partner Brian Fortuna earned the highest score of the series.

Dancing the American Smooth, they were awarded three nines and even managed a rare 10 – bestowed by Bruno.